Nettiquette

by ANGEL

FROM ISSUE # 97 (January 2004) | IN THIS ISSUE
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Why it is fun.
"Chatting" on the Internet has become a popular way for people to talk (chat) in a group (room) who share similar interests and people that you meet on-line often belong to the same age group. "Chatting" is considered the same as talking, only you are typing words rather than having an actual "real" verbal communication. More often, there are more than one "conversation"/statement (s) going on simultaneously in a given time/room. This is why they are called "chat rooms."

I enjoy it because when I am in a big crowd of friends, I can only have one conversation, and cannot participate in more than one. Most people don't know how to take turns while talking. I'm sure you have a number of friends that just talk and talk and talk, and the only time you can interrupt them is when they BREATHE.

I know that not everyone hears what I say, and I cannot always understand what my friends are saying, especially since conversations naturally branch out into different topics. Chatrooms allow me to "hear" everything everyone says, and vice-versa… If they ignore it, it isn't because they didn't hear me.

All in all, chatting can be fun and rewarding; you can chat with more than one person at the same time, and it is cheaper than using the phone, especially if your friends do not live in the same country.

Why it can be bad
People often behave rather outrageously online - in ways they would never dare in the real offline world. Imagine Clark Kent and becoming a (villainous) superman. An ordinarily mild-mannered person goes online and suddenly begins flaming everyone they come into contact with or behaves in a threatening way because they perceive themselves to be anonymous when online.

A child or a very young, and sheltered teenager having unsupervised access to the internet is open to a world of harmful risks that can be both psychologically damaging and abusive.

Chat rooms are used to lure children into offline meetings, which are extremely dangerous. The victims of this type of abuse are usually tricked into these meetings by building up a false sense of security with the offender through online conversation.

You may never really know certain things. Who you are really talking to? How old is that person? Even if you chat with someone for a number of years, what is to stop someone else from using that person's ID? How do you know it hasn't happened already? How do you know that someone hasn't posed as you? This can screw up our sense of trust.

Things to Watch out for.
When choosing to chat, it's best to use a screen name that you only use for chatting. By doing so you can modify who comes into contact with you or others. When choosing nicknames, avoid nicks like patangal or sexyteen. They can give out personal information, or encourage behavior on the part of others that you may find uncomfortable. I knew someone with the word "seductive" in their name…and this person wondered "How come these people keep talking to me in a dirty way??"

Profiles are a way for others to get to know you and view any personal information (likes/dislikes, etc) you want to share. However, it is a big and dangerous world. There are full of strangers that aren't always nice, but pretend to be. Do not share any "traceable" personal information such as full name, address, phone number or any other pertinent information that is best not "known" or viewed. Most of these boxes can be left blank. If they cannot be left blank then don't give real information - including your email address and name.

Rules that you ought to know but might not:
Never put in an e-mail message anything you would not put on a postcard.
Don't type in all uppercase. Doing so implies SHOUTING OR YELLING and should be used only for emphasis and then sparingly.
Respect the copyright on any/all material that you reproduce.
If you are forwarding or re-posting a message you've received, do not edit it or alter the wording.
If the message was a personal message to you and you are re-posting to a group, you should ask permission first.
If you are replying to a message or a posting be sure you summarize or quote the original, or include just enough text of the original to give a context.

This is a tool that allows for conversation; disagreement and critique promote deeper understanding. But please take care to distinguish criticism and debate from personal attacks and "power plays." In other words, if you are offering criticism, do not frame your remarks in ways that are demeaning to others. By the same token, try not to be defensive if your idea receives criticism in a way that really is not a personal attack.

Be careful not to give out personal details. If you have a conversation or someone says something that makes you feel uncomfortable save it. To do this in the chat window go to File and Save As and give it a name then click save. This will be saved to you're my documents folder.

When you have completed your chat, sign off by saying farewell to your chat-mates.